Drama Department – Curriculum
Years 7 – 11
YEAR 7 – TERM 1. (Main Focus – Drama Skills)
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Introduction to department. Safety, Rules. Getting to know games and exercises.
Introduction to structure in drama through comparison of ‘play’ and ‘drama’
Structuring improvisation including further use of conflict – introducing still image as
an exploratory drama tool. Students will build improvisation based on results of
homework.
What is a character in drama? What makes a character and how can this be shown
to an audience?
Focus on physical, verbal, mental and emotional traits and how to communicate
these through character contrasts.
Extending the development and presentation of character. Communicating
information to an audience about a character.
Extending the development and presentation of character. Communicating
information to an audience about a character.
Improvisation techniques and formal assessment of performance work – focusing on
theme of ‘homework’.
Listening and speaking – the difference between formal and informal language.
Introduction to scripted drama. ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. Staging a
section of scripted drama adding character, movement, gesture and vocal
expression/intonation.
YEAR 7 TERM 2: (Main Focus - Explorative skills)
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Use of formal language, gesture, stance – focusing skills on theme of Victorians –
with emphasis on class divide and servant based workplace. Creating a Victorian
Street Scene. Students will work in small groups towards developing a whole class
improvisation.
Organisation of large groups of people towards a coherent performance piece using
various drama techniques.
Self Evaluation (verbal and written) in preparation for GCSE course elements.
Using formal language as a means of establishing character and situation –
interviews in a Victorian household.
Using written planning as a means of organising drama.
Exploration of the Victorian Workhouse through the use of improvisation and
techniques such as role play and ‘teacher in role’.
Conducting an enquiry – exploring formal language and situations – focused on
conditions in the Workhouses.
YEAR 7 TERM 3: (Main Focus – Scripted Drama and Alternative Structures)
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Exploring an issue through the theme of ‘Bullying’ using the medium, elements and
explorative techniques of drama.
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Using various forms and styles of ‘stimulus’ – poetry, pictures, words etc.
Different approaches to scripted and improvised drama. Introduction of new
vocabulary and its meaning.
Writing a short script based on ideas developed through improvisation – focusing on
economy of words and approaches to staging a script.
Understanding how to interpret a script – staging, characterisation, stage directions,
use of space, movement, gesture. Focus on historical representation in dialogue.
Dreams as a stimulus for physical theatre and beginning to consider alternative
dramatic structures.
YEAR 8 TERM 1: (Main Focus – Storytelling and Devised Drama)
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Co-operation, communication, movement and voice skills.
Myths and Legends – Storytelling through the ages – building atmosphere.
Applying movement techniques to create character
Responding to a task accurately and appropriately and to a range of different stimuli.
Scripted drama – ‘All The Kings Men’ – using script as a stimulus for devised and
improvised drama.
Melodrama – drama from a different age.
YEAR 8 TERM 2: (Main Focus – Issue Based Drama)
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Exploring the meaning of ‘war’ in human terms – the emotional responses, using war
poetry as a stimulus (‘The Hero’ – by Siegfried Sassoon) and improvisation, mime and
storytelling techniques.
Approaches to self and peer evaluation.
Creating a stimulus – narrative and its uses in drama – working towards
performance.
Moral Dilemmas – dealing with questions of right and wrong – exploring moral
dilemma situations through use of Forum Theatre.
Using ‘stylised’ drama as a form of expression.
YEAR 8 TERM 3: (Main Focus – The Media and Scripted Drama)
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The role of Television and Radio in society – producing, through the use of drama
techniques, a news bulletin style presentation for an audience.
Comparing media through drama expression – radio drama and non-visual communication
techniques.
The role of the ‘Director’ in drama.
Scripted Drama – ‘The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty’ – using script as a stimulus for
devised drama and focusing on issue based responses.
Monologue as a form of dramatic expression.
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Reportage – as a basis for dramatic exploration.
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Drama Department KS4 – Schemes of Work.
KS4 GCSE Drama begins at the start of Year 9. It is a three year course during which students
build on a develop a wide range of skills.
YEAR 9:
During Year 9 students study a foundation course which prepares them for completion of
the two year GCSE drama.
This includes the study of:
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Dramatic genre
Dramatic styles
The history of theatre
The elements of theatre
Proxemics (the study of space and spatial relationships)
Semiotics (analysis of theatre through the elements of drama)
Evaluation of live performance.
Theatre practitoners including:
o Jerzy Grotowski – The Poor Theatre
o Constantin Stanislavsky – Method
o Bertolt Brecht – Epic Theatre
o Antonin Artuad – Theatre of Cruelty
Students are expected to demonstrate the skills of:
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Devising
Scripted work
Response to a stimulus
Structuring
Theory:
In preparation for the GCSE course students are now required to complete more written
work in support of their practical drama. This includes:
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Analysis of text and performance
Evaluation of their own work and the work of others
Drama development techniques such as role on the wall, scene plans and stage
plans.
Creative writing in the form of dramatic monologues and short scripts.
Years 10 and 11.
These are the GCSE years and students complete the OCR GCSE specification in Drama. The course is
divided into three components with varying assessment weightings. This includes a terminal written
examination which focus on a set text and theevaluation of a live performance.
Set Texts studied in past years have included:
‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller
‘Blood Brothers’ – by Willy Russell
‘Teechers’ by John Godber
The compnents and assessment breakdown of the course are shown below: